Abstract

Biographical documents, correspondence, speech notes and other materials documenting the life of Purdue’s first Dean of Students, Beverley Stone.

Scope and Contents of the Materials

The Beverley Stone papers documents the personal and professional life of Beverley Stone, from her time as a student at Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in the 1930s, through her long career at Purdue University from 1956-1980, her subsequent city council service from 1984–1988, up until her death in 2003. A large part of the collection consists of Stone’s speech notes from her numerous speaking appearances at Purdue and elsewhere. Types of materials include: books, certificates, clippings, correspondence, photographic prints, speeches, and scrapbooks.

Biographical Note

Beverley Stone began her 24-year career at Purdue in 1956, serving in the Office of the Dean of Women as an advisor to student organizations such as the Student Government, Panhellenic Association and Mortar Board. In 1968, she succeeded Helen Schleman as Dean of Women with the rank of assistant professor. In addition to successfully pulling through the "campus wars" during the turbulent 1960s, she ensured that students' voices were heard, requiring that they be appointed to faculty committees and held "speaking seats" at the Board of Trustees meetings. In 1974, after the Dean of Women and Dean of Men offices were combined, Stone was named Purdue's first Dean of Students, the first woman ever to hold such a position at a Big Ten university. It was also in this year that she coauthored a book with her colleague Barbara Cook entitled Counseling Women. Stone was an active member of many professional and community organizations and recipient of numerous honors and awards. In 1980, Stone retired, and Barbara Cook became her successor as Dean of Students. A sculpture honoring both women resides in between Schleman and Hovde halls. After her retirement from Purdue University, Stone remained active in community affairs and successfully ran for City Council in West Lafayette in 1983 and served from 1984–1988.

Administrative Information

Repository:
Purdue University Libraries, Archives and Special Collections

Accruals:

Donation by Betty Nelson, November 15, 2007.

Donation by Sarah J. Watlington, March 7, 2008.

Alternate Extent Statement:
9 manuscript boxes, 2 cubic foot boxes

Access Restrictions:
Collection is open for research. Material documenting privileged student records such as grades and discipline records are restricted until 70 years past their creation date.

Acquisition Source:
Donation.

Related Materials:
Beverley Stone had close ties to three other Deans of Women: Dorothy Stratton, Helen Schleman, and Barbara Cook. More photos, correspondence, and other materials relating to Stone can be found in those collections. Official correspondence can be found in the Office of the Dean of Women and Office of the Dean of Students record groups.

Processing Information:
Whenever possible, original order of the materials has been retained. All materials have been housed in polyester sleeves, acid-free folders, and acid-free boxes. Loose newsprint clippings have been photocopied and the original clippings discarded. Newsprint in scrapbooks has been left intact. Several oversized documents have been stored separately due to their size. Reduced-size photocopies of these separated documents have been inserted in their proper place in the collection. Speech notecards in Series Seven have been placed in individual acid-free envelopes and organized by date when possible.

Finding Aid Revision History:
While processing the Dean of Women records, the archivist discovered materials that belong in the Beverley Stone papers. This material was added to the collection on June 17, 2013 and is housed in Box 10.